This invention relates to blade sharpening or grinding machines of the general type employing an endless abrasive belt driven for movement past a work station at which a blade to be sharpened is removably positioned.
In prior sharpening machines of this general type, the blade is supported on a ramp, which is in turn supported to adjust an included angle at which the blade is presented to the abrasive belt, and a guide device, which is arranged in a spaced, facing relationship to the ramp and serves to form an abutment for the blade being sharpened. Patents illustrative of these machines include 2,375,604; 2,677,218; 2,780,897; 2,852,895; 2,853,837 and 4,142,331.
Prior machines of the type described are readily adapted to sharpen single beveled blades, such as chisels, and relatively thick, double beveled blades of V-shaped design. However, such prior machines are not suited to grinding relatively narrow blades and accurate grinding of double beveled blades wherein compensation must be made for both edge and blade angles. Moreover, prior machines are not adapted to sharpen the full length of a cutting edge of all types of blades, nor do they incorporate in a single machine the ability to sharpen essentially all commonly available single and double beveled blades ranging from chisels to scissors and from axes to pen knives.